Author Notes: There are things in life that just ought to be simple, and to my taste buds, French toast is one of them. Mine has only three ingredients, depending on the quality of the bread to carry the dish, and the quality of the accompanying butter and syrup to finish the dish to perfection. It is critically important to use good quality challah for French toast. I had no idea how important until I tried it the first time. I'll never go back. Fresh fruit is an acceptable add-on, but preserve me from cinnamon, confectioners sugar, and the like. - Kayb - Kayb

Food52 Review: There's nothing to making this French toast. But there is one thing that makes it exceptional: cream. KayB cuts to the chase, forgoing spices and extracts, and focussing instead on eggs, cream and challah. You whip together the eggs and cream, which form a custardy mixture, then dip the eggy bread into this custard -- make sure to gently squeeze the bread with your fingertips to draw the eggs and cream to the center -- and fry them in butter. Outside is a crisp crepe-like shell. Inside, pudding. What are you waiting for? - A&M - The Editors

Serves 4

1 loaf challah bread

3 eggs

1/2cup heavy cream

butter, for grilling and serving

Good maple syrup, for serving

Slice challah into 3/4 to 1-inch thick slices.

Whisk together eggs and cream.

Heat a griddle or flat grill pan over medium high heat, and add 1 tbsp butter for every two pieces of French toast it will accommodate; swirl butter around to cover surface.

Dip slice of bread in egg and cream; flip and repeat. Add to griddle, and grill until golden (approximately 90 seconds) on one side; flip and repeat.

Serve with additional butter, if desired, and good quality maple syrup. The experience is enhanced with the addition of good quality smoked bacon.

you can't 'soak the bread in the batter until it is soaked through' you silly. it will be nearly impossible to retrieve it without shredding and coming to pieces going from the batter to the pan. admittedly, it will still be good, just no longer bread slices. more like bits and pieces.

No, no, no, no! Doesn't anybody know anything about French toast? You soak the bread in the batter until it is soaked through. THEN you sauté it in butter. Anything less isn't worth eating -- just fried bread.

I think the method and length of soaking the bread to make French toast is a personal issue. I use brioche bread (Bouchon Bakery) and soak the bread through as you do, and that is my own preference. But there are many other methods, including of spices, and types of bread to use that are just as good, just different. Probably there is a lot of regional influences too.

here's another fast and easy french toast recipe for cooks with kids still in the house and who are still working and don't have time for 'preparation'. i use the 'hawaiian' bread cut into slices, but i'm sure you can use any bread you have around that is near its shelf life. now, you will have to gauge the ingredients to your audience, but it's a forgiving recipe so don't fret. pour about a cup and a half (or more, depending on need) of half n half into a pie pan, add a few tablespoons of sugar, a shake of salt, a few eggs and then mix well with a fork. add a few sprinkles of cinnamon and stir again. get your griddle hot and slick (spray or small amount of cooking oil) and then dip your cut bread slices in the mix, first one side then the other, place on griddle and cook one side to your liking, flip and cook the other. add more ingredients to the pie pan to finish up your slices, if needed. keep your butter handy to spread over the toast as soon as it comes off the griddle. this keeps your kids from having to do it and messing up the butter dish and reduces the messes you will have to clean up later. if you don't trust your kids to appreciate expensive maple syrup, make up a simple syrup (half water, half sugar, heated, with a drop or two of maple flavoring) and serve the little buggers. they'll love it! or at least my kids did.

Made this for breakfast with my left over oatmeal-molasses bread and it was delicious. I made it for two so used 1 egg and 1/8 cup cream and it worked a treat. Delicious. Saved and will definitely serve with bacon next time.

THIS Recipe is THE BEST FRENCH TOAST Recipe I've tried! Challah bread works wonders! I became a top chef in my house!! I did add some cinnamon for that breakfast flavor and it was awesome! I will always use this recipe from now on! Thank you!

I found this recipe and made it for breakfast this morning - I used Texas Toast bread instead of challah bread. The bread was thick and was able to absorb the cream & milk without turning soggy or falling apart. It turned out awesome! :)

Made this for Saturday breakfast and it was delicious! I normally do french toast with eggs and a splash of milk but never again. I didn't use challah bread as I had no idea where to get it but I got a lovely tin loaf that I cut into thick slices and it worked a trick.
Thanks for the recipe :)

We're crazy about this, too! I actually bought some bread (challah) to make this for my sons' Christmas morning breakfast. We served the French toast with lingon that a dear friend (a fellow food52 cook who I met here!!) brought back from Sweden for me. Really outstanding! We love this recipe and are looking forward to enjoying it again . . . . and again. ;o)

This recipe yields the perfect french toast. I tried the same recipe with brioche and challah. I liked the brioche version better, the bread had a natural sweetness to it.
I used to include all the bells and whistles like vanilla essence, cinnamon etc in my french toasts. But now I am a convert - there is no better way to make french toasts ! Thanks.

This is pretty close to my favorite french toast recipe... one difference is to add about 2T honey, and make the custard the night before and let it sit in the fridge. Mmmm. Make it this weekend for guests and got rave reviews. Congrats on the win for this classic!

We made it for dinner Saturday night and my daughter declared it the best french toast she'd ever tasted. I, too, loved it... and it coated my stomach well for the Corpse Reviver 2 that followed a few hours later. Don't think I'll be making french toast any other way from here on. Oh yum.

Recipe looks great! Sorry I can't turn off the editor I me :),...the ingedient list calls for heavy cream, but step 4 of the instructions says to dip bread in "egg and milk" mixture. Should this be 'egg and heavy cream' mixture? Just want to be sure I am not missing an ingedient... Thanks!

I made this today for Sunday breakfast served with a choice of fresh (real) maple syrup or a strawberry-blackberry-rhubarb compote. Rave reviews from my family who called it the best french toast ever!

This is exactly how I make my French toast! I used to put a little cinnamon in the batter until I started cooking for my beau who likes his french toast savory, served with eggs bacon and hot sauce....I still eat mine with powdered sugar and cinnamon, yum. Congrats Kayb!